This morning, I heard a wise coach and mentor say: "there will always be overwhelm in your life." She was calling me out on doing this, in a nutshell: complaining/reporting/I've got so many great reasons/excuses for why I can't/won't/ don't believe that this month or day or minute can possibly unfold without stress and the feeling of being just totally overwhelmed.
One of my favorite sayings is that there are "no big deals." Thanksgiving is just another meal- we have a choice about how big or small a meal w.e. m.a.k.e. o.u.t. o.f. i.t., for example. Once we accept this and continue to take steps towards our goal, we eventually succeed in eating the entire elephant, but only "one bite at a time" and arriving at our winning weight.
Similarly, in a day where I'm sleep deprived, anticipating that time of the month, in the last week of my first 4% DietBet, and just sent my partner off into the backcountry for five days - it's no wonder I might feel a little "high-strung". Did I mention that we are moving our life, belongings, horses and pets across the country in the next 30 days, and saying goodbye to the home and community I've known for the last decade???
One day is just the tip of the iceberg on MY problems, right?
Wrong. The truth is that this is just another day like every other day, and also a new day. I may find peace and stress in any moment- any day- any month- any year. Learning to shift perspective and practice my healthy habits- like portion control on thanksgiving, and taking a bath in the middle of a day like today, while reading the latest O magazine (which I just did:)- will get me to my goal in "serenity style."
Being overwhelmed need not be a constant state of being- or general threat hovering in the distance. It could just be something we have to pass through ... with grace and authentic emotions, or kicking and screaming before, during and after. Like the cupcake at the end of the cash register, we may be both present to the cravings and sensations at the same time that we check out our healthy produce and carry on...
Isn't that the saying of the year, to just:
"keep calm and carry on?"
Yes, it is- and with good reason. Thanks to a little course correction, I've gotten back on the serenity track with all these things, taking back the time and space I needed to care for myself and let go of the need to "do it all, at once!" After all, in this game called life, not much happens overnight, but gradually, as pounds are gained and lost, carved out by decisions in time.
May you give yourself a little time to just revel in the possibilities of being "exactly where you are supposed to be," right now!